Prior studies suggest that campus closures due to COVID-19 adversely impacted the well-being of college and university members. However, no research has examined the resources needed to assist university members as they return to pre-pandemic activities. The current study examined: (1) the resources university members wanted to assist their transition back to in-person activities, (2) their access to these resources, and (3) differences in access among various demographic groups, including those from minoritized backgrounds.
Participants completed a novel Wants and Access Questionnaire to gauge their desires for and access to various campus and community resources. The study included 471 university members: 219 undergraduates (Age: Mage=22.78, SD=6.35), 91 graduate students (Age: Mage=33.77, SD =9.75), and 161 faculty/staff members (Age: Mage=49.53, SD =12.19).
The study found that most undergraduates reported wanting access to financial support, followed by interpersonal support (friends and partners), and mental health support. However, 30-60% of students reported a lack of access to these desired resources. Graduate students reported wanting access to interpersonal support (friends, partners, family), followed by financial support, and mental health. However, 24-50% of the graduate students reported limited access to these resources. Most faculty/staff members reported wanting access to interpersonal support (friends, partners, family), and medical professionals. Only about 20-30% of the faculty/staff reported limited access to these resources. Faculty/staff reported the need for mental health resources in their write-in responses of the study. Additionally, in several instances, minoritized groups (LGBQ+ and people of color) reported lower access to resources.
Findings indicate that university members (especially undergraduates, LGBQ+ and people of color) reported lack of access to desired resources to support them. The current study points to disparities in resource categories that may guide college/university priorities.https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gradposters2023_sciences/1012/thumbnail.jp
